[Mo Dao Zu Shi Fanfiction] I Raise A Ying in Yiling

"Forget it, let's talk about other things after we get to Yiling and find out what's going on. There's no point in thinking about it now," Wei Chaoyan comforted herself.

Putting aside her excessive thoughts, Wei Chaoyan began to pay attention to her younger brother who had woken up in her arms. She would tease him from time to time or talk to Qi Ye, and the oxcart became lively in no time.

The oxcart traveled a distance, stopped to rest, and made the journey, stopping frequently, until it finally reached Yiling Town around noon.

Upon entering the town, they first went to a familiar inn on the street (the inn where Wei's father often stopped when he came to Yiling Town to sell goods or buy medicine, and he was quite familiar with the innkeeper). After booking two rooms, they washed off the dust from their journey in their respective rooms, and then went downstairs to the lobby to order a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a soup for lunch.

After lunch, Grandpa Wei asked Wei Chaoyan to take Qingyan and Qiye back to their room upstairs. He instructed the two children to play in the room and not come out, and then he would come downstairs with him to the county government office on business. As Wei Chaoyan led the two children upstairs as instructed, Grandpa Wei turned around and went to the front desk to find the innkeeper. He had a few pleasantries with him, implying that the innkeeper would keep an eye on the two children out of consideration for his past friendship with Wei's father, and that they should not run away from the inn. He said he would return with Wei Chaoyan after finishing his business.

After calming the two children downstairs, Wei Chaoyan was greeted by her grandfather, who gestured to her that he had already sent someone to keep an eye on the children. "Yan'er, I'll take you to the county government office first to have the clerk handle your household registration and travel permits. Then we'll go find a broker to buy a house. On the way, keep quiet and observe how I deal with them. Remember it; you'll inevitably have to interact with them when you live alone in town with your own family." Grandpa Wei whispered these instructions to Wei Chaoyan as she walked beside him.

"I understand, thank you for your trouble, Grandpa." Wei Chaoyan nodded gratefully and took out the money bag from her arms, handing it to Grandpa Wei. "Grandpa, take this, you'll need the money later."

Grandpa Wei didn't refuse, and casually put it in his pocket, while taking out a few loose silver coins from his money pouch and putting them in his sleeve. He led Wei Chaoyan towards the county government office not far away. When they arrived at the county government office, Grandpa Wei took out a loose silver coin from his sleeve and handed it to the guard at the gate, saying respectfully, "Officer, may I ask if Master Li is here? I have something to discuss with Master Li. Please help me pass on his message. I hope you will accept this small token of my appreciation."

The constable took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and stuffed it into his pocket. He nodded in satisfaction and said, "Master Li is on duty. I'll go in and announce your arrival. You and your men wait outside."

Grandpa Wei smiled and nodded in agreement. The two waited silently in front of the county government office. After a short while, a bailiff came out and greeted them, "Come in. You're lucky. Clerk Li has just finished his official duties and is free to see you."

Upon hearing this, Wei Chaoyan immediately followed the constable into the county government office. Along the way, Wei Chaoyan kept his grandfather's words in mind, keeping his head down and not daring to look around the county government office, so as not to cause any unnecessary trouble.

After following the bailiffs for a few minutes, we bypassed the main hall of the county government and arrived at a side courtyard not far away. Going through the archway, we could see several houses standing side by side—the offices of the county government officials.

The constable went straight to a room on the left, knocked respectfully on the door and said, "Master Li, the village chief of Wei Village who came to see you has been brought here."

"Yes, let them in." A gentle male voice came from inside the house.

"Yes." The constable bowed in response to the voice, turned around and gestured for Grandpa Wei and the others to push open the door and go in before leaving to return to the county government office to continue guarding the gate.

Grandpa Wei opened the door as instructed, went inside, and bowed to the middle-aged man who was sitting in the house drinking tea. He said, "I am Wei Wei, the village chief of Wei Village. I am here today to trouble you with the task of helping my granddaughter and her brothers obtain household registration and travel permits."

"Oh? Your granddaughter looks to be less than ten years old. Why do you need to register her for a new household registration?" Master Li glanced at Wei Chaoyan, who was standing behind him with her head down, and asked in confusion.

"This girl is the eldest daughter of my third son. A few days ago, my third son and his wife unfortunately died at the hands of evil spirits. When settling their orphans, I remembered that my third son had mentioned before his death that he wanted to send them to a close friend's family in Yiling Town to learn their craft. Therefore, after handling the funeral arrangements for my third son and his wife, I brought them and their siblings to Yiling Town. In order to make it more convenient for them to live and learn their craft in the town, I brought her to the county government office to apply for a new household registration and travel permit so that you can manage her in the future."

Upon hearing this, Master Li knew the intricacies behind it all, but it didn't bother him. He simply nodded, indicating that he would complete the formalities shortly. "Thank you for your trouble, sir," Grandpa Wei said gratefully, bowing as he handed over a household registration document, with a three-tael silver coin tucked inside. "It's just a small token of my appreciation."

Seeing that Grandpa Wei was so cooperative, Master Li nodded in satisfaction. While flipping through the documents, he said, "Wei Zhu's eldest daughter, Wei Chaoyan, is ten years old; his second son, Wei Qiye, is four years old; and his third son, Wei Qingyan, is one year old. They will be living in Yiling Town from now on. Please confirm that's correct."

"Yes Yes."

"Alright, now that it's confirmed, you can wait here for a bit." As he spoke, Master Li sat down at the table and began to write furiously. In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had written a new household registration and three new travel permits. He then got up and took the newly recorded information to the next room to register and back it up before stamping it with the county government seal.

Then she returned to her room and handed the paper to Grandpa Wei, who was waiting there. "Take this and keep it safe, so you don't lose it and have to reissue it. The processing fee is twelve taels (these fees are fictional and may not be illogical).

Grandpa Wei took the new household registration and travel permit, then reached into his pocket and took out a large sum of money, placing it on the table. After thanking Master Li again, he left the room with Wei Chaoyan.

As they approached the county government office, Grandpa Wei stopped the constable in front of him and asked, "Sir, may I ask you if Constable Wei is at the county government office?"

"Oh? You old man, you know Officer Wei?" The constable was a little surprised.

"It's just that my third son had some connections with Officer Wei before he died. Now that my son has passed away, I have to tell him when I come to town," Grandpa Wei said sadly.

“Uh, well… please accept my condolences,” the constable paused before saying, “Officer Wei is out on official business today and hasn’t returned yet.” Seeing that Grandpa Wei was somewhat disappointed, the constable softened and reached into his sleeve for the loose silver he had recently received, saying, “Where are you resting now? I’ll help tell Officer Wei your news when he returns, but I can’t guarantee whether he will come looking for you.”

"No, no, we are so grateful for your kindness and willingness to help. We are already deeply thankful. We will take our leave now." Grandpa Wei and Wei Chaoyan bowed gratefully to the constable again before leaving the county government office.